Georgia’s Public Defender, election administration urge political actors to “conducive”, “peaceful” election environment ahead of “historic vote”

Levan Ioseliani, the Public Defender of Georgia, and the Central Election Commission, on Monday jointly urged domestic political actors and participants in the election campaign to work towards creating a “conducive and peaceful electoral environment” ahead of the “historic” general elections on October 26.

The joint statement stressed the importance of ensuring a “fair and peaceful” election environment, “particularly given the extreme polarisation witnessed in past elections” and noted the forthcoming vote would be “historic” as it would be conducted under a fully proportional electoral system with the use of electronic voting. 

The statement also highlighted concerns over “increasing use of hate speech and discriminatory practices” by “various electoral entities”, warning such actions “undermine the integrity of the electoral process”. 

The Public Defender and the CEC stressed the need for political leaders, candidates, and their supporters to demonstrate “high political and civic responsibility”, promoting a campaign free from violence and hate speech.

The joint statement also pointed to the “critical role” of the electoral administration in ensuring “smooth conduct of the elections and building of public trust in the process”. They called on all parties to support the electoral administration in fulfilling its duties in a “peaceful and hate-free environment”.

The media was also urged to play a “constructive role” in the election process by “addressing and critically responding” to instances of hate speech during campaign coverage.